High Point Market has downtown busy, helps local businesses

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

HIGH POINT, N.C. — They come for the furniture, and “Big Joe” says they stay for the barbecue.

“They want that barbecue, and they like my barbecue,” said Joe Housand, of Barbecue Joe’s.

High Point Market brings an estimated 75,000 people to High Point.

Housand plans to feed 5,000 of them on just Saturday alone.

He’s been working with Lifestyle Enterprise for more than 10 years. It’s a partnership that benefits both businesses.

“That’s kind of one of our slogans is, ‘We are the value leader’ and so we have to prove that in a very short period of time. And so if we have good food and it’s local food, we hope they’ll stick around longer and write orders,” said Sarah Walton, who serves as customer service manager for Lifestyle Enterprise.

Downtown High Point is already bustling as furniture companies from all over the world and their employees converge on the city.

“With transportation, more vehicles ready, so things can move smoothly and people can get between buildings without having to worry about walking through that rain,” said Tammy Nagem, COO of the High Point Market Authority.

Trolleys go to the south lot at Market Center and Ogden. And the buses pick up and drop off from Oak Hollow Mall.

There are around 3,000 park-and-ride spaces.

“If you’re coming downtown, utilize those lots. We are going to drop you off in the middle of everything so you don’t have to worry about parking that car, but if you do bring that downtown we hope that we’ve eliminated enough of the traffic issues that you’re able to park and get to where you need to be,” Nagem said.

Market organizers have not utilized BB&T Point Stadium this year but plan for it to provide extra entertainment in the future.

“We’re looking forward to the way things are going to grow around the stadium; like the food hall and things like that will give market guests an opportunity to try some different things in our community,” Nagem said.